Saving Money

Ever since J and I moved in together and started paying more attention to our pre-marriage finances, we started to cut corners everywhere we could. First up: cable TV. It was the first to go, considering mostly I was using it to watch Bulls games and reruns of my favorite old TV shows. We already had Netflix, so we tried a free-trial of Hulu+ for one month as well to try to get us used to no cable. Soon we noticed that we hadn't even turned on Hulu+ once, so we cancelled that membership quickly. We haven't had cable TV for over 5 months now, and we couldn't be happier with our current set up. I tell everyone I know to at least give it a try without cable. You'll be surprised to see you won't miss it that much!

Another place we started saving was our cell phone packages. As soon as my parents switched to Verizon in February, we dropped our Friends and Family plan and got the cheapest family plan with the least amount of minutes. We also took a look at our text messaging, and realized we had been spending for unlimited texts, when we weren't even reaching 500texts/month. We dropped down to a $10/month plan for a total savings of $30/month. Its nothing crazy, but in the big scheme of things it really helped. I highly recommend taking a fine-toothed comb to your cell phone plan! I think most people assume they need the unlimited texting, but really see if you're using enough to warrant it!

I also turned into a coupon printing machine. I pretty much don't go to the store or buy anything online without printing a coupon or using a coupon code. First stop for me is usually retailmenot.com. They do a good job of listing a lot of online coupon codes. For printing coupons, I usually stick to Googling the store I'm shopping at, or using my two favorite websites: Target.com and MyPoints. If I plan on going to Target, I always check to see if there are coupons for anything I'll be buying that day, and almost always there is. I also have a Target Redcard that is a debit card that links to my checking account, and I get 5% off all purchases. I realize I'm a Target employee and I sound like a corporate machine, but really its not a bad deal especially because its not a credit card.

MyPoints is a great place to go in general - if you're into accumulating points to get gift cards, you can fill out surveys, or link through the website when making online purchases to get points for your purchases. But for my online purchases, I always start with...

Ebates! I found this website through word of mouth and I love it. Essentially you go to Ebates first when making an online purchase, find the store you'll be purchasing from, and click there. It'll direct you to the storefront, and you'll get a percentage cash back for your purchases. For the first few weeks when I was using this I kept forgetting to go through Ebates. But now that I've gotten in the hang of always checking there first, I've made well over $10 that will be sent to me via check in the mail. Again, this isn't a life-changing amount, but for me, its free money!

These tiny tips again, aren't life-changing, but as two students, every penny counts! What do you do to cut corners and trim costs in your life? What are some tips you have to get the most bang for your buck when purchasing items online?

Organizing: Finances

Once J and I moved in together and our purchases started to become more shared, I wanted to make it a point to make some type of budget and stick to it. I had purchased this financial organizer for my mom but she wasn't interested in using it, so I decided to use it for myself!




I was clearly swayed by the clever name (Organizher) the pretty flower design and my favorite gray and white palette. The plan was to spend one month collecting our receipts to monitor our spending, create a monthly budget, and to keep all our bills in one place. As you can see, the only success we had was collecting our receipts. For one month. And other than that, the book remains empty...






While our intentions were good, we didn't have the best follow through. The plan is to again start come June, and to have a budget in place before we start spending. Anyone really good with the family budget and have some good tips on how to stay organized?

On Money

The day after our engagement, J and I went to Barnes and Noble to buy a cute little notebook to jot notes in. That's become a project all its own, but what happened at Barnes and Noble almost sent me into a complete meltdown.

I've hinted that I am not the Wedding Bride. My biggest mistake, I think, was grabbing a bunch of wedding magazines and looking at wedding planners/books in the self-help section. I'm pretty sure I broke out into hives, and J had to quiet me down, purchase our items and then drive me home while I started sobbing and hyperventilating.

My biggest issue is this: weddings are expensive. My parents have told me they will be paying for my wedding, and this is incredibly generous. It also makes me feel guilty beyond belief. They have been so helpful in my life, financially as well as emotionally, and I know I will never be able to repay them for all the good they have done in my life. And though they reassured me they would love nothing more than to spoil me rotten for my wedding day, I started to get heart palpitations for the costs of our impending wedding.

The magazines blew everything I was thinking majorly out of proportion. Articles on how to plan a "budget" wedding for $100,000? How a DIY wedding was "such a bargain!" at $15,000?? The dresses, the bridesmaid gifts, everything had huge dollar signs and it honestly made me cry. All I knew was this: I loved J, I wanted nothing more than to marry him and begin our life as husband and wife. And yes, I wanted to celebrate it in a special, and meaningful (and once-in-a-lifetime) sort of way.

So to calm me down, J did what a logical, rational man did: he turned on How I Met Your Mother and a glass of wine, and reminded me that everything will be okay. And guess what? It is. Have I had breakdowns about money since? Absolutely. But once budgets were set, and everything was discussed, it was all transparent and I could breathe a sigh of relief.

My point is this: don't buy into all the hype. Don't get swept away with all the gorgeous pictures, details, and dollar signs. Remember the point of the event, what it means to you, and what it represents. This has ended up being my wedding mantra: remember what is the most important to you, be honest, and do what feels right.